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How to connect a DataHub to the Internet with an iPhone via USB tethering charging cable
How to connect a DataHub to the Internet with an iPhone via USB tethering charging cable
Jon Bilger avatar
Written by Jon Bilger
Updated today

An easy way to connect your DataHub to the Internet is by using your iPhone's charging cable and plugging it into the USB socket on the DataHub, then activating a hotspot.

Connect your iPhone using the USB charging cable

  • Turn off iPhone Wi-Fi in Settings.

  • Plug your iPhone into the USB charging cable.

  • Plug the USB charging end into the USB port on the DataHub, shown above.

  • When connected, your iPhone will prompt you to Trust This Computer? Tap Trust and enter your iPhone Passcode.

  • If you do not see a green icon in the top left corner of your screen (iOS 17) or a blue/green banner across the top of your iPhone screen, turn your hotspot on by navigating to Settings, then tap Personal Hotspot and enable Allow Others to Join, as shown below.

    iOS 17

    iOS 15/16 - iOS 14.8 or earlier is blue

Check that the DataHub has an Internet Connection

Important Note: The iPhone or Android device used to provide a USB tether for the Internet to the DataHub cannot be the same device you use to log in to the DataHub because it will cause a loopback scenario.

The DataHub is getting internet from the phone USB tether, but when the iPhone logs into the DataHub Wi-Fi, it is trying to get internet from the DataHub, as the Wi-Fi is preferred over cellular data on the phone.

So, connect to the DataHub Wi-Fi with another device to view and change the settings, etc.

  • Connect to the DataHub via Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable, then open a Chrome or Safari browser and type 10.10.10.1 in the URL bar.

  • Log in with the default username admin and password admin.

  • If your iOS provides a USB tether to the Internet, the WAN Interface status iOS USB Tether will be green and show the Status: Online.

  • To see this on a DataHub with older firmware, on the left menu, click Settings and on the top menu, click Internet Status.

Important Notes:

iPhones using iOS17 or later may indicate they are sharing a hotspot with the DataHub. Yet, the DataHub iOS USB Tether box will show red with Status: Offline, and the DataHub will not be connected to the Internet.

To fix this, you must turn your personal hotspot off and on again. To do this:

  • In iPhone Settings->Personal Hotspot, disable Allow Others to Join.

  • Wait 10-15 seconds and enable it again.

  • Leave your phone screen open and active on the personal hotspot page.

  • Wait 30-40 seconds and if the iOS USB Tether Internet status box is not green and Online, click the top menu Internet Status to reload the page.

If that does not work either, please see the troubleshooting article DataHub iOS Phone USB tether is not working for additional troubleshooting steps.

DataHub Firmware - 3.91 or less, the iOS USB Tether Status may take up to 2 minutes to update and turn green. Please wait a minute or two,

Congratulations! Your DataHub is now connected to the Internet. Please try browsing the Internet on your other device e.g. Open a browser to Google and search something.

Continue to Update DataHub Firmware?

If you are setting up the DataHub, please return to Step 1 and continue to Update the DataHub Firmware.

Quick Tip - make your USB tether permanently active

  • From iOS 11 onwards, iPhones automatically terminate a USB data connection after one hour by default to improve security. To change this:

    • Open your iPhone's Settings

    • Tap Touch ID/Face ID & Passcode

    • If it is not green, tap to enable Accessories

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